Hood Construction, DP3 Architects and Goodwyn Mills Cawood break ground on Town of Fort Mill’s new operations center

On Sept. 16, 2026, the teams of Hood Construction, DP3 Architects and Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) joined Town of Fort Mill officials and community members to break ground on a 33-acre site for the Town’s new Operations Center, marking a major milestone in the community’s growth.

The new campus will bring together the Town’s Utilities and Public Works departments, which together include more than 85 employees who have historically operated out of multiple sites scattered across town, including the historic 1938 armory. Consolidating these operations into a single location outside the downtown corridor is expected to reduce inefficiencies and improve service delivery townwide.

The campus will include a 17,000-square-foot Administration Office Building, a 14,000-square-foot Fleet Maintenance Building, a 16,900-square-foot Warehouse, nearly 39,000 square feet of covered and enclosed fleet parking across four structures, a Vehicle Wash Building and a Covered Fueling Station.

“We’re proud to help build a facility that will serve Fort Mill’s Utilities and Public Works teams for decades to come. This is exactly the kind of project our team is passionate about, and we’re excited to carry the momentum from the Community Center project into the Operations Center,” said Brandon Hein, Project Manager at Hood Construction.

Michael Pry, Principal with DP3 Architects, commended the “extremely collaborative design process that included not just the Town administrators, the design team and the contractor, but, most importantly, the men and women who will eventually work on this campus.”

“This project is not just an investment in the Town, but an investment in the people who are responsible for keeping the Town’s infrastructure running smoothly as it grows,” Pry said. “It will be their new home, and one they can take pride in for many years to come.”

Tripp Barrineau, Regional Vice President with Goodwyn Mills Cawood, added, “We’re excited to be part of this project, another one right here in Fort Mill. Serving the Utilities and Public Works teams by delivering the state-of-the-art facilities they deserve is a privilege. We look forward to seeing the positive impact the Operations Center will have on the community once it’s completed.”

At the groundbreaking ceremony, held against a backdrop of red dirt and construction equipment, Fort Mill Town Manager Cary Vargo spoke to the significance of the project, emphasizing the importance of giving the Town’s Utilities and Public Works teams a modern, unified home to better serve the growing community.

“We look forward to welcoming these dedicated employees, many of whom are here today, to their new facility. It’s going to be a wonderful campus, incredibly functional and long overdue, and it’s really only possible because of the team effort of so many,” said Vargo.

The new Operations Center reflects Fort Mill’s continued growth, with the Town’s population more than doubling over the past decade, and positions the Town to deliver essential municipal services more efficiently, safely and sustainably for years to come.

About Hood Construction

Hood Construction Company was founded in 1986 as a full-service Construction Management firm, currently licensed in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Now in its 40th year, Hood specializes in CM-R and Design-Assist Delivery, Pre-construction Consulting, Site Analysis, Project Management and General Contracting for a broad spectrum of commercial and industrial clients. For more information, please visit us online at www.hoodconstruction.com

About DP3 Architects

DP3 Architects, established in 1984 and headquartered in the heart of downtown Greenville, South Carolina, is an architectural and interior design firm specializing in hospitality, higher education, and community projects. DP3 Architects designs projects that invite, inspire, and invigorate the people that work, the people that work, live, and play in the spaces we create. https://www.dp3architects.com/

About Goodwyn Mills Cawood

Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) is one of the largest architecture and engineering firms in the Southeast, with local offices in Franklin and Nashville, Tenn., in addition to locations throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina. Whether designing schools, parks, hospitals and other commercial developments, or providing clean water, safe streets and restoring resilient environments, GMC takes great pride in serving our communities through the transformative work we do. https://www.gmcnetwork.com/